6 Ways to Migrate to Australia

“There are always more than one visa options. Know which visa that is the best for you.”

Depends on the situation, there are several ways for you to migrate to Australia. So, if you’re contemplating to move down under, you need to know first what options are available for you.

And by that, we don’t mean showing up onshore on a 18th century’s galley. You know, James Cook style? That ship has sailed, mate! Literally.

Read on to know what ways or paths that you can take to migrate to Australia.

1. Student Visa Path

Life is a full time learning they say. It’s a no brainer then that many people regard formal education as key. If education is a commodity, then it’s Australia third biggest export after mining and agriculture, generating no less than $13.7 Billions in revenue in 2016. More than 320,000 students from 130 countries are studying in Australia’s universities to date according to News.com.au.

Many took this student visa path toward permanent residency. Not only because years of study in Australia would help shaping and speeding up acculturation process, but also because the Australian Government regards those who studied within its border with favor when it comes to visa application, as opposed to those who studied elsewhere.

Question: But that’s a long way to go between me studying in Australia and having a plan to live there!?

Answer: That’s why we can’t stress enough the importance of planning your future. It needs to be done ahead, as early as possible, including but not limited to when you’re planning for your education.

If you’re really good at something, and that something happens to be included in ANZSCO’s skilled migration occupation list, then it’s likely that you are eligible to migrate to Australia.

Update: On 18 April 2017 the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) was replaced by the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL).

Question: What is that MLTSSL?

Answer: That’s the list of occupations that are in demand in Australia, I repeat, in demand. Hence, your eligibility occupation-wise.

There are two streams in this path, namely, the State/Territory Nominated stream and the non-State/Territory Nominated ones. If you are nominated by a State or Territory, you have another occupation list you can nominate with, namely the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)

Update: On 18 April 2017 the Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List (CSOL) was replaced by the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL)

Question: What is STSOL?

Answer: That’s the list of occupations that you can also nominate (aside from the MLTSSL) for the aforementioned State/Territory nomination.

General skilled visa is the most common path that people take to emigrate to Australia. Not only because 1) it targets broader prospects (in terms of age and occupations) and thus well-suited for, and more appealing to, broader demographics, 2) the country needs steady intake of workforce to keep the economy afloat, but also because the employment opportunities that Australia offers. Speaking of which, do you know that in 2017, Australia needs a whooping 16,357 nurses? (So, if you’re a professional nurse, go ahead, take the hint and thank us later *smug face)

Question: How do I know I’m eligible for the General Skilled Visa?

Answer: The easiest and fastest way is to take a quick look on our Skilled Migration Calculator. You’ll know about your eligibility and your points in less than 2 minutes.

3. Partner/Family Visa Path

To be eligible for this path you need to either 1) have an Australian partner (spouse or in relationship) or 2) have a family member who would be more than happy to sponsor you.

Of course, by partner we mean a real one. Not a scam like this one. Marriage fraud is a serious offense with severe penalties. The authorities tend to sniff it out, anyway. So, it’s a losing game any way you look at it. Meanwhile, if you’re single and available, don’t be sad. You can still apply for the working holiday visa (read below) and keep your dating apps ready 🙂

4. Working Holiday Visa

If number 5 and 6 are reserved for the rich, the working holiday visa opens to teens to young adults (aged 18-30 years young) who want to spend up to 12 months of their lives living in Australia, during which they can travel, work or doing both. Not bad, huh?

Many use this opportunity to test the vegemite water; to see what Australia has to offer and to figure out whether it can play a big part in their future.

What makes this visa option interesting is that, since this visa allows you to work (up to 6 months for one employer), it can be a good start to work your way up to the aforementioned Employer-Sponsored Visa. You know, if during that duration you managed to score an exceptional achievement, stayed out of trouble and kept impressing your employer, the company may sponsor you for the Subclass 186.

5. Business Visa

As the name suggests, this visa option, and its subsequent visa sub-classes, seems to only apply for those rolling in money. Australia is laden with business opportunities. So, if you’re a businessman with a capital north of AUD 1 Million to spare and eager to start a business or join an existing ones, Australia is the place for you.

This path also opens to startup founders and cofounders whose firm/company has raised/receive fund of AUD 1 Million from Australian venture capital firms (VCs). Australia is fast becoming the mecca for fintech startups (or any other startups for that matter) with the likes of Afterpay spearheading the way.

Speaking of startup, Power Ledger, an energy startup based in Perth, just secured a massive $17 Million funding, a mere 72 hours after its Initial Coin Offering through Ethereum network. With the current trends, in which Perth and Brisbane are catching up to their NSW and Victoria counterparts (Sydney and Melbourne, respectively), Australian startup scene will only be more interesting to follow and businesses will flourish for certain.

6. Retirement Visa

Thinking of retiring in Australia? What’s the reason not to? The beaches alone are good enough reason. Australia welcomes those who want to spend their retirement in Australia by accommodating the demand into two streams of visa (Subclass 405 and Subclass 410). See the details here.

Keep in mind that the Subclass 410 visa, otherwise known as Investor Retirement Visa, will not lead to permanent residency or citizenship. Also, the applicant also needs to have a substantial amount of money, especially the obligatory requirement of having net assets of AUD 500,000 (if he/she intends to settle in regional area) or AUD 750,000 for non-regional area. On top of that, the annual income of the applicant (through investments and pensions or other revenues) needs to be at least $50,000 (if settling in regional area) or $75,000 (in non-regional area).

Conclusion

That approximately sums up the ways or paths that people can take to emigrate to Australia. As you can see, for every age demographic, there are at least two visa options available. Consult with us to know which one is the best for you and, of course, the best way to obtain that visa. That’s called a strategy and we believe that, something so important and impactful to your life as migrating to other country deserves nothing less than a good strategy, best counsel and thorough guidance of experienced migration agents.